This
is better than I could have ever imagined, said
Kane backstage after his appearance last night on Raw.
The ovation was just awesome. It kept getting
louder and louder.

Few
Superstars have the kind of rabid fan following enjoyed
by Kane. His legions of loyal supporters were sorely
disappointed several months ago when the mysterious
Superstar was sidelined with an injury and suddenly
disappeared from WWE broadcasts. But his absence came to
a shocking end last night (*Monday August 26th, 2002) when he cleared house on the
Un-Americans before a very appreciative Madison Square
Garden crowd.

Ive
been working on getting healthy, getting back in shape,
working out, Kane said, explaining what hes
been up to all these months. As a great icon of
sports-entertainment used to say, Im training,
saying my prayers and taking my vitamins.

The forced
sabbatical from the ring came as a result of a torn bicep
tendon that occurred while Kane was lifting weights at a
gym in Abilene, Texas. Tendon tears are common in most
sports, but the real problem was the fact that it was a
distal tear, running down the length of the tendon
instead of straight across it. This tear caused the
tendon to separate from the ulna, the forearm bone that
connects to the elbow.

Like most
other performers who wind up on the disabled list, Kane
had to find ways to combat boredom and keep himself
occupied while away from the ring.

Im
a big techno-geek, he confessed. I just got a
new computer system, so Ive been busy learning how
to use it. Im also into paintball as a hobby, so
once my arm was healthy enough I started doing a little
of that to help get my competitive juices flowing. Of
course, Ive also been watching WWE on TV, keeping
up with what everyone else has been doing.

The fans
were abuzz last night thanks in part to Kanes new
look. The streamlined mask and costume represent an
ongoing evolution of the Kane persona that has been going
on for the past half-decade. In talking about his new
getup, the Masked One had this to say:

Its
a lot more modern, a lot more cutting edge. Darker. The
new mask makes it easier to talk and to breathe. There
was also the stench factor with the older
maskeven though I always have more than one mask on
hand, unlike Mick Foley, who used the same sweaty mask
all those years!

Despite
being sidelined just at the moment that his following
seemed to be growing more than ever before, Kane remains
optimistic about his future in WWE.

He
certainly seems ready to make an impact once again,
although he also has his share of doubts and anxiety.

Im
definitely excited, he said. But
apprehensive, which happens with anyone whos coming
off an injury. What we do is very demanding. The standard
we set is very high, and theres a certain amount of
pressure to maintain that level. I havent done this
in a while, and Ive been watching everyone on TV
and seeing how hard theyre working. You just wanna
get back in there and make an impact. And thats
what Im gonna do, starting now.

Of course,
we just had to ask Kane about the infamous Kane-arooni,
which brought the Garden house down and had Superstars
and fans alike in stitches.

I
think I just saw Hell freeze over and a pig fly by,
Kane joked. I might be putting the Kane-arooni
back in the vault, but you never can tell. It may come
back one day, but I have a feeling one may be all I can
pull off!

For his
growing army of Kane-anites out there, Kane
had a very special message:

A lot
of you have been wishing me well. Ive been getting
a lot of fan mail. I want to thank everyone for that, and
reinforce what an honor and a privilege it is to be in
this business at this specific time and see how much were
able to entertain the people. Now Im back, and I
promise to be bigger and better than ever.